Hydromulching is a cost-effective strategy that can be used to quickly revegetate large areas of land. Often confused with hydroseeding, hydromulching is however, quite different. Essentially, hydromulching involves spraying a slurry of seed, fertiliser, water, binding agent and wood fibre mulch onto large areas of land which is in need of revegetation. Hydroseeding is very similar, however it does not contain wood fibre mulch, and it’s this component which is what makes hydromulching a more favourable option for erosion control. Hydromulching is relatively more expensive than hydroseeding, because it contains one additional ingredient, wood fibre mulch, which makes it the superior choice for revegetating large portions of open land.
So why is hydromulching so popular?
One important factor in revegetating large plots of land is water. However, while both hydroseeding and hydromulching spray a slurry of seeds, fertiliser and water onto the soil, without the wood fibre mulch, hydroseeding allows the water to quickly evaporate from the soil. Wood fibre mulch in hydromulching is the one component that prevents both water in the soil and the protective envelope of water around each seed from evaporating.
This moisture laden micro-climate provides the necessary environment for the seeds to germinate and establish themselves in the soil, whilst many of the seeds sown using the hydroseeding method, dry out very quickly and die. Some people try to prevent this rapid evaporation by following up with a layer of dry straw, but this soon blows away and birds eat the seeds anyway.
Hydromulching in Brisbane is quite popular due to its ability to help prevent erosion. With Brisbane’s long dry periods and excessive rain events, it doesn’t take much weather to erode all the topsoil and sweep it away, along with the seeds, particularly on hillsides. Once again, it’s the wood fibres that prevent this erosion from occurring, stabilising the soil, keeping it healthy and giving the seeds sufficient time to germinate.
What situations benefit from hydromulching?
Hydromulching is the ideal solution for stabilising cleared land and providing grass coverage in subdivisions, landfills, commercial and construction sites. It’s ideal for rehabilitating roadside verges, bridge abutments and even mining sites.
Hydromulching is also very effective for revegetating and stabilising dam sites and embankments, hillsides and severely sloping areas. Any land spaces that are suffering from erosion can be successfully rehabilitated with hydromulching, because of its ability to stabilise the soil.
Compared to hydroseeding, hydromulching may be a more relatively expensive method to use initially, but given that its success rate is far greater than hydroseeding, it works out to be the more cost-effective method in the long run. It’s fair to say that land treated with hydromulching in Brisbane has been rapidly transformed into large areas of greenery, something that is highly valued in urban areas.